Fortunately, it didn’t stop there. Progress has been slow but it seems to be there. A concrete action in this regard is the recent appointment of Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud as the vice president for women’s affairs of the General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia.

Princess Reema, an entrepreneur, social activist, former CEO and a single mother, has been a beacon of hope for the women in her country for decades. The 41-year-old member of the royal family has spent a large part of her life paving the way for Saudi women.

Though born in the capital city of Riyadh, Reema spent much of her childhood in the U.S. where her father was the Saudi ambassador for 22 years. She earned a degree in museum studies from George Washington University.

A photo posted by 10KSA by Alf Khair (@join10ksa) on Jan 5, 2016 at 5:20am PST

She is a supporter of empowering Saudi women in the workplace and in the community. Now, she’ll do that in sports, too.

“I didn’t grow up with the mental barriers of ‘I can’t’ or ‘I shouldn’t’… [so] you appear to be daring when you’re just doing what you should,” she said in one of her interviews. “If someone says stop, then you stop. So far, nobody has said stop.”

Besides empowerment, Princess Reema also believes more participation from women in sports would help create "250,000 jobs."

“It’s time to include women in sports for a healthier society and a productive economy,” she said while addressing the culture and technology event, MiSK Global Forum, in Riyadh.

“We — especially women — must incorporate physical fitness in our lives. Our role is to allow this nation more opportunities for physical fitness and health and to create healthy citizens. We’re a partner in the health sector,” she said.

Women in Saudi Arabia are bound by strict rules but things are progressing for them.

Physical education is not in the curriculum for girls in public schools. However, private female-only gyms and sports clubs are growing in popularity in the country's major cities.

Saudi Arabia's largest female university in Riyadh — the Princess Nora University — also boasts a state-of-the-art sports complex with a swimming pool, gym, indoor running track and sprawling outdoor soccer fields.

The princess has a unique way of fighting for the rights of her countrywomen. In her own words, “I don't want to knock a wall down. I just want to widen the doorway.”